U.S., Poland Agree to Resume Air Service April 28

The United States and Poland agreed Tuesday to resume commercial flights this month for the first time since 1981, when U.S. officials suspended Poland’s landing rights to protest its imposition of martial law.

“The agreement has opened a new period of cooperation between the two countries and is a reasonable compromise,” Polish Aviation Minister Jozef Sobieraj said.

John R. Davis, U.S. charge d’affaires in Warsaw, welcomed the agreement as a “renewal of traditional closeness between Poland and the United States.”

Under the agreement, the first U.S. flight will be by Pan American World Airways, which will land April 28 at Warsaw’s Okecie Airport. A Polish LOT airlines aircraft will fly to New York on the same day. Both airlines are expected to run three to four scheduled flights per week.

The United States suspended LOT’s civil aviation privileges in December, 1981, after Poland imposed martial law and suspended the Solidarity independent trade union. Martial law was lifted in July, 1983, but Solidarity remains banned. LOT was permitted to resume some charter flights to the United States in November, 1983.

President Reagan began lifting sanctions against Poland last August, a month after Warsaw announced an amnesty for hundreds of political prisoners.

The U.S. government agreed at the time to support Poland’s application for membership in the International Monetary Fund, providing the amnesty was fully implemented. But it left several significant trade sanctions in force, including the suspension of Poland’s most-favored-nation trade status and credit guarantees.

Polish authorities recently have launched a new crackdown on dissidents and are believed to be holding 107 political prisoners.

Among those arrested were three leading members of Solidarity’s underground movement--Adam Michnik, Bogdan Lis and Wladyslaw Frasyniuk. They are to stand trial on charges of attempting to organize a general strike to protest recent food price boosts.

The Reagan Administration has said the remaining sanctions will be lifted when the Communist government allows its people greater freedom.